The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Pan Yun and Xue Shao were both good-looking, and with their out-of-town appearance and accents, plus the wine and snacks that Mrs. Lin gave them, they attracted even more attention.

Before long, Xue Shao and his men came to their door.

A young man who looked like a scholar pulled his companion over, his gaze sweeping over Pan Yun, and asked Xue Shao with a smile, "Brother, where are you from? My name is Huang Quan, and I am a student at the county school."

Xue Shao clasped his hands in greeting and replied, "My name is Xue Wen, from Hedong. This is my junior sister, Pan San. We came here specifically because we were traveling and studying. We didn't expect it to be such a grand event."

Huang Quan laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "Prefect Lin encourages learning, so everyone in Chaozhou Prefecture is eager to study. This poetry gathering is not only held in the prefectural city, but I have also heard that it is being held in the counties below. In the future, this poetry gathering will surely become a unique feature of Chaozhou Prefecture."

Pan Jun wasn't very interested in poetry gatherings. What was the point of a bunch of scholars getting together to recite and compose poems? Good works are rooted in the people and in their hearts. So-called poetry gatherings are just socializing under the guise of reciting and composing poems.

You can tell by looking at the well-dressed scholars who have gathered in the building.

Xue Shao asked, "How often are these poetry gatherings held? Or are they only held when the mood strikes?"

Huang Quan said, "It used to be once a quarter, but now it's once a month, so many scholars from other places come to participate. This is my cousin Dai Fu, who is from Chaoyang County. He came here specifically to participate in the poetry gathering."

Dai Fu was dark-skinned and thin. When he didn't speak, he looked older than Huang Quan. But once he reacted, the shyness on his face made him look younger than Huang Quan.

He greeted Xue Shao and Pan Yun in a low voice, and nodded to Xi Jin, who was standing behind Xue Shao.

His accent was quite heavy, and Pan Jun could hardly understand him, but the two of them were very friendly to him, even more so than to Huang Quan.

Knowing that he had only recently arrived in Chaozhou, Xue Shao immediately said, "Perfect timing, let's explore the delicious food of Chaozhou together."

Xue Shao called over a waiter, ordered the restaurant's specialty dishes, and also had two jugs of wine brought out.

Huang Quan was very excited and pulled Dai Fu to sit down properly, indicating that he knew Chaozhou City very well and that if the two of them wanted to do anything or eat anything, they could just ask him, and he would answer all their questions without reservation.

Upon hearing this, Pan Yun immediately asked, "So you know about the news in the city too?"

Huang Quan smiled and said, "We naturally have no way of knowing about confidential matters, but since it is news, it is clear that there are rumors circulating outside. Even if I haven't heard of it, I can still inquire about it."

Pan Yun immediately said, "We were just wandering around and saw a notice on the notice wall in front of the prefectural government office announcing a martial arts contest to find a husband."

Huang Quan's eyes lit up slightly. Once the conversation started, he lowered his voice and asked, "Could it be that Brother Xue is interested in this?"

Before Xue Shao could deny it, Pan Yun pressed him down with one hand and said, "I'm interested. I'm interested on his behalf, and also on behalf of my senior brothers and nephews."

Huang Quan then laughed and said, "Then Miss Pan has found the right person. She has good taste. This Commander Feng is over fifty years old and has only one daughter, so he is naturally very doted on. Marrying into the Feng family will bring her endless wealth and honor in the future."

Dai Fu tugged at Huang Quan.

Huang Quan slapped his hand away, secretly glared at him, and looked at Xue Shao with a smile: "Brother Xue, although the Feng family requires a martial arts contest to choose a husband, they also require the other party to be literate. Someone as good-looking as you, who is also a scholar, may be able to give it a try even if you don't know martial arts."

Pan Yun: "Commander Feng? He's the commander of the Chaozhou Guard?"

"Yes, who in Chaozhou doesn't know him?"

Pan Yun asked in bewilderment, "How much wealth could a mere commander of a thousand households possibly have?"

She pointed at Xue Shao and said, "Although my senior brother's family is of modest means, they are still a family of farmers and scholars. One of his ancestors was a fourth-rank official. They would not be interested in ordinary family property."

“You said it yourself that it’s from our ancestors, so it’s better to be a local official than a county magistrate,” Huang Quan said in a low voice. “Captain Feng is in charge of Chaozhou Garrison. He has control over all the garrison troops and farmland in Chaozhou. Moreover, I heard that the imperial court wants to revitalize the navy and even wants to separate a branch of the navy to form a navy. Our Chaozhou is close to the sea, so he has a bright future ahead of him.”

“Who can predict the future? Besides, my senior brother isn’t a military household member. He can only pursue a literary career. The paths of civil and military are different. No matter how capable Commander Feng is, he can’t help my senior brother in his official career,” Pan Yun said. “Talking about family property and then about military settlements and land reclamation is even more pointless. Those belong to the imperial court, not to him.”

Huang Quan looked at her with a disappointed expression and couldn't help but ask, "If Miss Pan looks down on you so much, why did you say you wanted to inquire on behalf of your senior brother and nephew?"

Pan Jun waved his hand listlessly: "We are outsiders and did not know that the Feng family was only a commander of a thousand households. When we saw that he could post a notice for a martial arts contest to find a husband in front of the prefect's gate, we thought he was a very powerful person, at least no less than Prefect Lin, so we wanted to ask."

Upon hearing this, Huang Quan immediately perked up again and whispered, "Miss Pan's knowledge is not bad, but her experience is still lacking. In our Chaozhou, Commander Feng is much more useful than Prefect Lin."

"Oh?" Not only Pan Yun, but Xue Shao also sat up straight, staring intently at Huang Quan: "You mean, Prefect Lin will listen to Commander Feng?"

"It's not quite like that. Prefect Lin is in charge of local affairs, while Commander Feng is in charge of military affairs. They are not related. However, Prefect Lin has to give Commander Feng some face. Otherwise, why would the Feng family post the notice for the martial arts contest to find a husband at the main gate of the prefect's yamen?"

Pan Yun muttered, "Does Commander Feng have that much influence?"

“Of course,” Huang Quan glanced at the second floor and then looked behind him. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he whispered, “In Chaozhou City, Commander Feng is so powerful that even the Guangdong Provincial Governor, let alone Prefect Lin, has to give him some face.”

Pan Yun was stunned and looked at Xue Shao: "So powerful? Does this person have some kind of background?"

"He is the godson of Wang Wengfu, a favorite of the late emperor!" Huang Quan announced with a proud expression.

Pan Yun nearly spat out her tea and began coughing violently.

Xue Shao's expression was also quite interesting. He took out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Pan Yun, saying quietly, "Is this what people outside are saying about Commander Feng?"

Huang Quan looked at them with a puzzled expression, then nodded and said, "Yes, that's what everyone says. Commander Feng has connections in the court, and no one dares to offend him."

Xue Shao lowered his eyes.

Wang Zhen has been dead for a year, and even in death, he was punished by the court. Not only was his body never found, but his home was also confiscated.

Not only his home in the capital, but also his home in his hometown, and all his nephews, uncles, and brothers, were purged, one by one.

There are still some people imprisoned in the imperial prison who haven't been dealt with yet.

When he last returned to Beijing, his uncle was suing the Northern Garrison and the Censorate over this matter.

The Northern Garrison Command wanted to kill everyone, and the Censorate also wanted to make an example of them, but Xue Xuan did not want to escalate the case.

Among those arrested, quite a few were indeed members of the Wang clan who had abused their power under Wang Zhen's influence.

For example, people like Wang Shan were either placed in the Northern and Southern Garrison Commands as Imperial Guards by Wang Zhen, or sent to the Six Ministries as minor officials.

There's no way around it; they're not qualified to be high-ranking officials, but as low-ranking officials, they have less to do and still get paid quite a bit, and they can use their official positions to do all sorts of things outside.

That's how Wang Zhen built his power base.

Xue Xuan wasn't heartbroken by the deaths of these people, but many of them were implicated. Among them were several families who were relatives of Wang Zhen and his ex-wife. Although they had come to the capital to make a living, they had basically no contact with Wang Zhen and simply did normal business or worked as craftsmen.

One of the families lived in a slum and never considered themselves related to Wang Zhen, nor did they ever use Wang Zhen's name to seek personal gain.

As a result, when Wang Zhen died, his family was also arrested during the large-scale investigation, simply because his grandfather and Wang Zhen came from the same village and were both listed in the family genealogy.

God knows, he had never returned to his ancestral home since birth, and no one knows how those people from the Censorate found him.

After Wang Zhen's incident, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was beaten to death by a mob of officials. There were not many Embroidered Uniform Guards left in the capital, and not many of them returned alive from the battlefield.

In an effort to distance themselves from Wang Zhen, they were so eager to find his corpse on the battlefield, grind it to dust, and arrest anyone the Censorate discovered was connected to Wang Zhen, sometimes even doubling the number.

For example, the son-in-law and neighbor of the family in the slum were also arrested because of their close relationship and suspicion that they had secret connections with Wang Zhen.

If this Commander Feng were truly Wang Zhen's godson, the grass on his grave would be three feet long by now.

Since the Imperial Guards didn't come to arrest him, it means the rumor is false.

There must be another reason why Prefect Lin and the Guangdong Provincial Governor gave him so much face.

The claim that Wang Zhen was his godson was nothing but a smokescreen.

However, did Commander Feng know that people outside were talking about him like this?
Wasn't he afraid that the censors would report the matter based on hearsay, and that the Embroidered Uniform Guard would actually confirm it?

What Xue Shao could think of, Pan Yun naturally thought of as well, and the two became even more interested in Commander Feng.

Yes, I'm also very interested in Prefect Lin and the Guangdong Provincial Treasurer.

These two are in charge of local government affairs, how come they're getting involved with a mere commander?
Xue Shao then posed another question: "Since this Commander Feng is so capable, why are there so few men willing to marry into his family?"

Huang Quan was slightly embarrassed: "How do you know there are few people?"

Xue Shao smiled slightly: "I've noticed that Brother Huang has been encouraging me to go. Is there a reward for recommending someone?"

“Hey, what reward? That’s called a matchmaker’s fee,” Huang Quan said. “If Brother Xue wins the heart of the beauty and brings about a marriage, shouldn’t you thank me and give me a matchmaker’s fee?”

Xue Shao was slightly taken aback, and actually felt that what he said made sense: "Brother Huang, how do you know that I will definitely succeed?"

"It would be great if it succeeded, but what does it matter if it doesn't? I've only wasted my breath." Huang Quan winked at him, "Brother Xue, if you're interested in trying, you must take me with you. I'll take you."

Pan Yun couldn't help but wonder, "Is there a referral fee?"

"No, no," Huang Quan hurriedly waved his hand, but said with a smile, "As long as there is food, Brother Xue, you can stay in the Feng family's villa until the martial arts contest for marriage is over, and the person who introduced you can visit you from time to time. I heard that the Feng family's three meals a day are very exquisite, and there are eighteen dishes for breakfast."

Pan Yun clicked her tongue in amazement: "It sounds exquisite! Even the emperor couldn't be more elaborate."

The emperor and empress in the palace advocated frugality, and breakfast consisted of only six dishes: porridge, steamed buns, mantou (steamed bread), pancakes, and various side dishes, which were combined every day. Oh, and there was also a soup.

If this was the case for the emperor and empress, then the concubines in the harem were even more limited to five, four, or three levels of authority.

The lowest grade only gets one small dish for breakfast each day, along with a small bowl of porridge or steamed buns.

As a result, a single garrison commander could prepare eighteen breakfasts just for the candidates who came to the martial arts contest to choose their spouses.

It's true what they say, the emperor is far away and the country is high up.

Just as they were having a great time chatting, the waiter came to serve the food.

Xue Shao and Pan Jun now treat Huang Quan like a treasure, one handing him a bowl and the other chopsticks, warmly urging him to eat.

Xue Shao poured him more wine and said, "Brother Huang, my junior sister and I are new to your esteemed place and know nothing. Please give us your guidance. By the way, if I were to try out the martial arts contest for a husband at the Feng family, who would I be competing against? The Feng family offers such generous terms, there must be quite a few outstanding people who would sign up, right?"

"Quite a bit."

Xue Shao was worried: "How can I, a man from Hedong, compare with them? Although it is a martial arts contest to choose a husband, since it is a marriage, family background must be taken into account first."

Huang Quan: "Brother Xue, don't worry, I think you have a great advantage."

"Oh?"

Huang Quan took a bite of meat and a sip of wine before saying, "The Feng family just wants outsiders."

"why is that?"

“Because it’s unique!” Huang Quan said in a low voice, “The Feng family are military households. Although the son-in-law will not become a military household himself, the children he has will be military households. Military households cannot move at will. Therefore, unless the imperial court issues an edict, the third generation will be rooted in Chaozhou.”

“Since the son-in-law’s family lives far away, he has less contact with his original family. Relationships can only deepen through interaction,” Huang Quan said meaningfully. “Moreover, since they are far away, they can’t interfere in the Feng family’s affairs, which saves the son-in-law from focusing on helping his ‘maternal family’.”

Xue Shao suddenly realized.

Pan Yun blinked: "But the son-in-law is weak and alone, and the Feng family only has one daughter. Isn't he afraid that the young couple will be bullied by outsiders after he passes away?"

"So, the Feng family has high standards. Not only do they require a martial arts contest, but they also require the other party to be literate. Don't think that the latter requirement is just about literacy. I have inside information!" Huang Quan said in a low voice, "Feng Qianhu has asked the instructor of our county school to come and conduct assessments every day. So, Brother Xue, you have to be extremely careful when you go. Don't think that our instructor is just talking to you. He is using the conversation as an opportunity to conduct assessments."

Huang Quan said, "My son-in-law is capable, and Miss Feng is no fool either. As long as the couple can hold onto the assets and connections left by Commander Feng, even if the third generation doesn't grow up, they can still ensure that the Feng family will remain prosperous for three generations."

Pan Yun exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing!"

Xue Shao pondered: "Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. Commander Feng has gone to great lengths for Miss Feng and the Feng family."

"That's right!"

Xue Shao: "However, does the Feng family have a lot of assets?"

"That's quite a lot," Huang Quan said, a few drinks later, and having had a great time chatting with the two, he was already a little tipsy. He waved his hand and said, "Half of Chaozhou City belongs to the Feng family, so the Feng family is also called Feng Half-City!"

Xue Shao and Pan Yun looked at him with disdain. Why didn't you say that earlier?
Pan Yun poured him a glass of wine, sighed, and said, "Brother Huang, next time you persuade someone to participate in a martial arts contest to choose a husband, remember to put this sentence first. Say this as the very first sentence, and I guarantee you won't need to say anything more." (End of Chapter)